Chef Daniel Angerer's Blog

WHEN SOMEONE GIVES YOU A LEMON - THE BLOG

Do you know that phrase "It's a lemon" when something is faulty or defective, well I disagree. 

In the midst of winter, lemons and other citrus fruits are considered the fruit of the moment, and in season, so noting faulty here. Citrus fruits are tasty and full of juice this time of the year, and the best of all, they offer a much needed vitamin C boost. To finish a dish with fresh lemon juice e.g., in a salad or freshly squeezed over a grilled or roasted fish, brings much zing and a vital freshness to the dish. In addition, the citrus juice awakens the palate.

just caught a lemon...

The winter blues
Personally I'm done with winter by now and with February daylight getting noticeably longer, and the celebration of Valentine’s Day with all the flowers … I am in the spring mood.

The bright taste of lemon in this dressing brings vitality to winter and it is rather simple!

Basic Salad with EVOO and Lemon
(recipe for 1 person)

1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of sea salt
3-5 turns of black pepper, from the mill

Lemon Secret:
When it comes to squeezing your lemons a nifty trick to get the most juice is to microwave them for 20 seconds, which will soften the skin. That halved lemon squeezed yields nicely in your palm. Another kitchen 101 is to roll the lemon with your palm, pressing down on a kitchen counter. It will let you squeeze out the last drop of lemon juice of your halved lemons. Try it and you'll continue to use these trick for sure.

Salad Suggestion:
I recommend finely chopped kale and baby spinach at a ratio of 1:2 for your salad mix.  These greens are perfectly complemented by mandarins separated into segments and cut in half, which bring a great juicy quality to the salad. Add some roasted almonds or sunflower seeds for crunch and a nutty flavor and you have a nice salad.

perfect fit fish and lemon

Toss your ingredients and serve in large salad bowls. Serve olive oil, with crusty French bread drizzled with a bit of extra virgin olive oil.

Lastly some fun facts about lemons:
- Lemon trees bloom and produce fruit year-round. Each lemon tree produces up to 600 pounds of lemons in a year.
- Research has shown that lemon balm has a calming effect and therefore may be able to help to fight fatigue, dizziness, anxiety, nervousness, and tension.  And, combined with other calming herbs such as hops, and chamomile lemon balm may help to promote sleep
- Lemon is always a helpful remedy for chills and fever -- add the juice of 1 lemon to a cup of hot water with honey and drink at once.
- Drink the juice of 1 freshly squeezed lemon in a glass of luke-warm water after each meal. The lemon acid will stimulate the production of stomach acid and the activity of stomach muscles to aid in digestion.

So when life gives you lemons … appreciate them!

 

 

A WELCOME UMAMI FLAVOR BOOST - the blog

A WELCOME FLAVOR BOOST - the blog
With the cold temperatures in the North East it's tricky to get any fresh vegetables locally at this time of the year. Luckily I can fall back on one item in my pantry to give some serious oomph in my cooking - dried mushrooms. I always have some dried mushrooms on my kitchen shelf either in powdered form or whole dried clusters. They can be kept for a long time if sealed properly, even up to six months.

fresh porcini mushroom

 

dried porcini mushroom soaking in water

Cooking with dried mushrooms
Generally I use dried mushrooms in cooked dishes rather than salad or raw dishes. First I make sure to give them a good rinse in hot water and then soak them in a small amount of luke-warm water for about 15 minutes. Then I strain the water off the mushrooms and keep that water as a base liquid for soups or stews.

I like to cook chopped onions and garlic in vegetable oil as they're a terrific flavor support base for the mushrooms. Once that mixture is soft, add the soaked, drained mushrooms to the garlic and onions, and this will boost their flavor. For seasoning, keep it simple with sea salt and black pepper, and a dash of Tamari or soy sauce. I love to add fragrant herbs at the end of the cooking process.  Try your cooked mushrooms with thyme, a small amount of rosemary or Italian parsley.  I recommend adding this mushroom mixture to stews, soups, pastas and rice dishes. Grains such as polenta, bulgur, and wheat berries are an ideal canvas for your basic mushroom mix. I love to add a dash of cream in such dishes, which adds a great complement and makes it a good fit for a cold winter night.

fresh black trumpet mushroom

 

mushroom from my kitchen cabinet

Mushroom Powder
I call it magic mushroom powder – no worries nothing psychedelic here! If you don’t have access to dried mushroom powder, you can grind your whole dried mushrooms in your coffee bean grinder, but just make sure the blender gets cleaned before and after use so your coffee won’t get flavored with it. Mashed potatoes seasoned with mushroom powder becomes divine with powdered mushrooms. Another great use for mushroom powder is to dip chicken breasts in flour, mixed egg and then your ground mushrooms -- this will make a crispy “skinned” chicken with an amazing umami quality. One of my favorite preparations for mushroom powder is to add 1/4 teaspoon per egg and then prepare it in a scrambled egg way – it’s a flavor sensation. Garnish that with fresh chopped chive and spread it on toasted rye bread. I usually serve that next to a lightly dressed mesclun salad - that’s a simple gourmet dinner.

Did you know: capsulated mushroom powder is sold online and sold as a vitality boosting essence.